Loose-leaf binder



R. R. WEBB April 14, 1931.

LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed May 1'7, 1930 Patented Apr. 14, 1931 UNITE STAES FFICE ROBERT E. WEBB, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AS SIGNOR TO CHARLES R. HADLEY COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Application filed. IvIay 1'7,

This invention relates to loose-leaf binders and an important object of the invention is the improvement of the clamping means whereby one of the binder covers is held against movement away from the other cover.

This invention relates more particularly to that type of loose-leaf binder having posts on one cover member projecting through orifices in the other cover member, and another important object of the invention. is improvement of the construction for clamping the cover member to the posts.

Another important object is simplicity and neatness of construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a loose-leaf binder constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental vertical section on the line indicated by 33, Fig; 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line indicated by 44, Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, thereare provided cover members 6, 7. The cover member 6 comprises a movable section 8 hinged at 9 to a section 10 that constitutes a clamping bar. The cover member 7 comprises a movable section 11 hinged at 12 to another section 13 that constitutes a second clampin bar.

Fixed in the clamping bar 10 are posts 14:,

' tube that constitute the main body of the' clamping bar 13. Each bushing 17 has a shoulder 21 that engages the inner face of the tube 20 and the adjacent end 22 of said bushing is crimped down upon the outer face of the said tube 20. The other end of the 1930. Serial No. 453,204.

bushing 17 projects slightly outside of the tube 20 and is crimped over a cover plate 23 that excludes dirt from the bore of the bushing.

The cover plates 23 are provided with cen tral orifices 24 to accommodate sleeves 25 through which the posts 14 project. The in side diameter of the sleeves 25 is sufficiently greater than the diameter of the posts 14 to permit of the sleeves easily slipping on and off of the posts.

Each of the sleeves 25 is normally held inwardly by a coil spring 26 that surrounds the sleeve between its associated cover plate 23 and an external shoulder 27 on the sleeve. Each sleeve 25 carries a number of friction members 28 which, in this instance, are in the form of balls that are accommodated in radial orifices 29 in the sleeve 25. V

The wall of that portion of the sleeve that projects into the orifice 16 is of less thickness than the diameter of the members 28 and the outer faces of the members 28 are adapted to frictionally engage the wall 30 of the orifice 16. This Wall 30 is tapered or of conical shape, the smaller end thereof being toward the clamping. bar 10. Whenthe members 28 are at the lower portion of the. orifice 16 and in contact with the wall 30, the inner faces of the members 28 are in contact with. the posts 141 and, accordingly, the bar 13 is clamped by the members 28 to the posts 1 each coil spring 26 yieldingly holding its associated sleeve with the members 28 in the smaller end of the orifice 16. To release the post from the pressure of the members, it is necessary to retractthe sleeve against the pressure of the spring. To facilitate retraction of the sleeves, the outer ends of said sleeves are provided with fhnges 31. The flanges 31 are suficiently removed from the cover plates 23 to permit the operators first and second fingers to be positioned beneath the flanges 31 so as to readily retract the sleeves.

Of course the outside diameter of that portion of each sleeve that projects into the orifice 16 is materially less than the diameter of the smaller end of said orifice so that only the members 28 will engage the Wall 30.

The invention described above operates as follows: To insert loose leaves in or remove them from the binder, it is necessary to remove the cover member 7 and this is done by the operator simultaneously retracting the sleeves 25. Ashe pulls upwardly on said sleeves, the weight of the cover member 7 tends to hold it stationary and, accordingly, there is sufficient relative movement between the sleeve and cover member to compress the springs and move the members 28 into the larger ends of the orifices 16, thereby relieving the inward Wedging efiect of the wall 30 upon said shoes. Continued upward pull on the sleeves, by the operator, will then lift the cover member 7 and said cover member will be entirely removed from the posts. The

desired number of loose leavesW-ill then be removed from the posts or placed thereon and the cover member 7 will then be replaced on xthe posts, the weight of said cover member causing it to descendron the posts'until it lies against the upper loose-leaf. The members 28' automatically clamp against the posts at the lowest point reached by said sleeves, thus firmly holding the clamping bars 10, 13 against movement away from one another until the sleeves are again retracted by the operator. 7

t will be seen from the foregoing that the construction is quite simple and yet is very eifective to accomplish the purpose for which is is intended.

I claim:

A loose-leaf binder comprising cover members, a bushing fixed in one of the cover members andhaving a tapered bore, a sleeve projecting through the bushing and provided with a shoulder, a cover plate on the bushing at the larger end of the bore of said bushing fitting around the sleeve, a post fixed in the other cover member and projecting through the sleeve, a spring surroimding the sleeve between the inner face of the cover plate and the shoulder, and a friction member carried by the sleeve engageable with the post and with the inner face of the bushing, said friction member being positioned inwardly from the. shoulder.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 7th day of May, 1930.

7 ROBERT R. VEBB. 

